Skip to content 5/22/2026 Negotiating Government Funding and Foreign Policy, and Contemplating the Harms of Technology May 22 · 54 min ...more
5/22/2026 Negotiating Government Funding and Foreign Policy, and Contemplating the Harms of Technology
May 22, 2026 · 54 min
Jody Hice and guests discuss stalled negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, struggles to fund ICE, along with other funding proposals before Congress, growing tensions in Southeast Asia, the indictment of Communist Dictator Raúl Castro, Life for Christians in Cuba, and how technology, specifically the smartphone, is jeopardizing families and marriages.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
May 22, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Jody Hice and guests discuss stalled negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, struggles to fund ICE, along with other funding proposals before Congress, growing tensions in Southeast Asia, the indictment of Communist Dictator Raúl Castro, Life for Christians in Cuba, and how technology, specifically the smartphone, is jeopardizing families and marriages. ...more Show the full description Show less Jody Hice and guests discuss stalled negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, struggles to fund ICE, along with other funding proposals before Congress, growing tensions in Southeast Asia, the indictment of Communist Dictator Raúl Castro, Life for Christians in Cuba, and how technology, specifically the smartphone, is jeopardizing families and marriages.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Up next Autoplay More from Tony Perkins Ron Johnson, Andrew Clyde, Blaise Misztal, Michele Bachmann, Gary Hamrick Tony Perkins
11/9/2026 Reflections on How the Midterms Will Shape the Future Congressional Agenda and Foreign Policy Tony Perkins
From Tekoa to Bethel: A Shepherd’s Warning of Judgment Tony Perkins
Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment: God’s Desire to Restore Tony Perkins
David Wurmser, Ryan Bangert, Jeanne Seaver, David Closson Tony Perkins
11/6/2026 America’s Future Foreign and Domestic Policies and Responding Biblically to Cultural Challenges Tony Perkins
Joel 1:14 — Consecrate a Fast: A Pastoral Call to Repentance Tony Perkins
Randy Fine, Chris Mitchell, Amanda Dixon, Igor Bandura, Casey Harper Tony Perkins
11/5/2026 How Will Democrats Govern With Growing Anti-Semitism in Their Party? Tony Perkins
Hands on the Bow: Prophetic Authority and National Repentance Tony Perkins
Eric Burlison, John Rogers, Jack Hibbs, Suzanne Bowdey, Casey Harper Tony Perkins
In this video 0:00 Border Security Delays and GOP Pushback12:07 Funding ICE and Border Protection15:00 Taiwan Arms Pause and China Tensions25:00 Justice for Cuba: Raul Castro Indictment38:00 America's Fertility Crisis and Tech Impact
Border Security Delays and GOP Pushback 0:01 From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, DC, bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation's leaders and0:12 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Heiss.0:19 Why does it just drop the weaponization fund?0:22 It's not my call. We're waiting to see what the senate sends us. They're working through that.0:25 You mean,0:25 it's obviously a problem, political problem. Maybe you can you guys are leaving town without passing this major priority.0:30 I'll process whatever the senate sends me, and they need, obviously, a little bit more time to build consensus. So that's what that's what they've decided to do.0:39 That was house speaker Mike Johnson addressing the senate's decision to delay a vote on the second reconciliation package. Welcome to this May 20 second edition of Washington Watch. I'm your Friday0:51 host, Jody Heise. Thank you so much for joining us. Coming up today, Florida congressman Mike Herodopoulos will be joining me shortly to discuss efforts to fund immigration enforcement1:03 agencies. All this after the senate delayed action to do so until early March. Plus, Yohi so Suarez from the Washington stand will break down how
1:15 Christians in Cuba are coping with worsening conditions on the island along with new US murder charges filed against Cuban dictator Raul Castro. All
1:27 that and much much more coming your way straight ahead on Washington Watch. Senate Republicans have
1:38 delayed a vote on a major 72000000000 dollar immigration enforcement package after some internal disagreements over added spending provisions have entered
1:50 into the equation. Obviously, the bill includes funding for ICE and border patrol, but the question now is other proposed compensation funds for Americans who were unfairly
2:02 targeted by a weaponized government. The Senate Republican leaders now are planning to revisit that measure after the Memorial Day recess. So joining us
2:14 now to discuss this is Washington Watch reporter Mary Stackhouse. Mary, there's a lot of talk about all of this. What are conservatives saying about the delay? And, why has this
2:26 bill overall become such a major major issue within the Republican party?
2:31 Well, Jody, conservatives argue that the core of the legislation, which is boosting ICE operations and strengthening border enforcement, remains a top priority for for Republicans, excuse me, but the debate
2:42 intensified after additional provisions were attached, and that includes a 1800000000 dollar fund that's aimed at compensating those who are victims of politically motivated government actions. We're talking
2:54 about Biden era DOJ's targeting of conservatives. Supporters say the effort addresses years of federal overreach and unequal treatment under the justice system, while some GOP senators
3:06 want tighter limits on who could qualify. Now another point of debate involves funding tied to security upgrades and developments at the White House Ballroom. Despite the delay, Republican leaders say that they
3:18 expect immigration the immigration package to move forward when congress returns in June. Jody?
3:26 Well, I wanted to, check too. Of course, there's a lot happening in the news, but I saw that, earlier today, some of the inauguration, if you will, White House, put the mantle, if you will, on
3:37 Kevin Warsh as, the federal reserve chair. Of course, he's been a strong backer of president Trump. But what does all this mean potentially, for the economy and specifically for
3:49 interest rates moving forward?
3:52 So before I get to Kevin Warsh, director of intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, she is resigning from her role in the Trump administration. In her resignation letter, she cited that her husband
4:04 was recently diagnosed with a form of, a very rare form of bone cancer. So while 1 member is out of the administration, another is coming in. So Warsh takes
4:16 over the Federal Reserve at a critical economic moment with inflation still being high and energy prices climbing with AI rapidly reshaping the economy. Here's what Borscht had to say after he took the
4:28 oath.
4:29 My goal now is to create an environment in which the best people can do their life's best work and to face every challenge in the spirit of common purpose and devotion
4:41 to the national interest, in a word to excellence. These duties are now mine, mister president, because of the trust you have placed in me.
4:51 President Trump backed Warsh because of his criticism of the Fed's recent direction and its handling of interest rates under Jerome Powell. Conservatives view Warsh as a reform minded and leader and focused
5:03 on boosting economic growth, restoring confidence in the Fed, and pursuing policies that could eventually lower borrowing costs for Americans and families and businesses. Jody?
5:14 Mary, I'm glad you brought up Tulsi Gabbard. That's, also, certainly big news. I had the honor of serving with her, and our prayers certainly go out for her and her husband. A very
5:25 difficult time for her, and so I encourage all our viewers and listen listeners to, just lift them up in prayer right now. Thank you, Mary. If I can turn to
5:37 some international news, secretary of state Rubio is in Europe this week. He's addressed some ongoing negotiations with Iran. This seems to be
5:49 continually up and down as far as what's happening. What are you hearing as far as progress of those talks and expectations moving
5:59 forward? So, Jody, secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the Trump administration is seeing encouraging signs and negotiations with Iran, but he stressed that the US is not backing down from its core demand. Iran
6:11 cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. We've heard the president say that many times. Speaking from Europe after meetings with NATO allies, Rudio said that president Trump prefers a strong diplomatic agreement,
6:23 but he made it clear that the administration is prepared to take tougher action if Tehran refuses to cooperate. Here's what he said.
6:30 We're not there yet, and and hopefully that'll change. It may not. Honestly, it may not. We're deal we're dealing with a very difficult group of people. And if it doesn't change, then the president's been clear he has
6:39 other options. He prefers the negotiated option and having a good deal, but he he himself has expressed, you know, concern that maybe that's not possible. But we're gonna keep trying. I know our guys are still working on
6:51 that very hard.
6:52 Rubio emphasized that the US remains in constant communication with Pakistani mediators that are helping facilitate the talks while also warning that Washington is preparing contingency plans in case Iran
7:04 threat in case Iran threatens key global shipping routes like the Strait of Hermeuz. His message was direct. The administration is pursuing peace through strength, but president Trump has made it clear that other options
7:15 remain on the table if diplomacy fails. Jody.
7:19 Alright. Mary, thank you so much as always for these updates. We appreciate it. I wanna go ahead now and turn to a member of congress to discuss the republican efforts to fund immigration enforcement and
7:31 border security. Joining us now is congressman Mike Herodopoulos. He's a member of the financial services committee as well as the Republican study committee and others. He represents the eighth congressional district of
7:43 Florida. Congressman Herodopoulos, welcome to Washington Watch. Great to have you.
7:47 Thank you, Jody. Thanks for the opportunity.
7:50 Alright. So, obviously, the focus right now is on the senate. They they held off votes for this second, reconciliation package that's caused a lot of frustration,
8:03 understandably, in the house. Give me your thoughts on how all of this has unfolded.
8:08 Well, Jody, first, as you know, we've been making, real positive steps in the United States House of Representatives. 4 different times we have fully funded homeland security. We think it's essential. And the most
8:20 basic way to look at it as a former US history teacher myself, the number 1 responsibility of former government is to make sure that you protect life and property. Sadly, the Democrats are playing a lot
8:32 of political games at this point. They do not wanna fully fund both border security nor do they wanna fund ICE, which, of course, is our way of getting rid of the 10000000 people who came here illegally. And
8:44 many of those, sadly, committed violent or sexual crimes against American citizens. And we think those funds should be there to provide the services for the most basic thing, meaning people deserve to get
8:55 paid for providing the protection we need as a nation against increased threats here and around the world.
9:03 Yeah. And I totally agree with you on that. It seems like the 2 issues that have kind of thrown mud into the whole situation are, first of all, the the billion dollar request for security
9:15 upgrades at the White House and for the ballroom. And secondly, the 1800000000, anti weaponization fund to, pay claims to victims of lawfare and
9:27 weaponization. What's your take on those 2 items? Are they going to be included or not?
9:32 Well, that that's something in the senate right now. It's you know, we're waiting as you as you did in your career for the senate to act, in general or in this precarious situation because the Democrats are using the
9:42 filibuster to stop votes from taking place. Again, just to stress my background, I'm a former US history teacher. A filibuster was designed to delay votes, not stop votes completely. And when you
9:54 stop votes completely on fundamental things like that, you're denying the verdict of the people in the 20 24 election. That said, both these issues have been somewhat controversial as people want more
10:06 details. Clearly, I think what the problem is is that the Democrats are soaked in a in what they call Trump derangement syndrome. Meaning, they they dislike the president so much. They forget that these are
10:17 protections not for Donald Trump. This is your protections for the president of the United States so they can hold state dinners, which is part of state craft, let alone do it in the safety and security, which we need,
10:28 which simply is not available right now as we saw most recently with the third attempt on president Trump's life just a few weeks ago at a Washington DC Hilton. We're prepared to do the right thing. That is to
10:40 protect the American public, but we have to deal with the politics of the Democrats. But 1 thing is a bright light right now is that the acting surgeon excuse me, attorney general has done, I think, a really good job
10:52 of walking through in committee meetings showing that this is about the protection of the presidency and protecting those guests, whether it be congress members or their guests for the future. Because in the past, as you
11:02 know, Jody, they used to do White House events on the lawn in tents. And so clearly, we need to move towards a more, stable position as opposed to playing a lot of these political games, which unfortunately are more and
11:14 more rampant here in Washington, DC.
11:17 Yeah. They really are more rampant, and I don't see how in the world you cannot provide security for those events at the White House Ballroom. Democrats have been railing against the reconciliation
11:29 package saying that it does nothing to lower American cost, which is kind of ironic coming from them to begin with. But the reason that Republicans are doing this, as you mentioned a moment ago, is because Democrats do
11:41 not want to fund the Department of Homeland Security. I mean, security is something Americans not only want, they demand, isn't it?
11:51 It is. Again, I just have fundamental responsibility of government. And think about the most general way, Jody, is that they allowed 10000000 people to come into this country illegally, then they allowed them to do all
12:02 types of nefarious things, meaning they had sanctuary cities where a person would get arrested. The next day, they'd be right back out again, all the name of politics. And now as we finally try to round up these rascals,
Funding ICE and Border Protection
12:13 we don't have the resources because they won't pass the budget to get these people funded who are actually providing their protection for the American public. So in general, it's a it's a Democrat created problem, and
12:25 yet they won't allow us to have the resources to round these people up. And I'll just close with this, Jody, on this 1 particular part. There's a website where people can see firsthand just how how tragic this situation
12:37 is. There's a website called w o w, for worst of the worst, at d h s dot gov. And it shows so many thousands of people who came here illegally and then additionally
12:48 broke the law with sexual crimes, other violent crimes, murder, rape, child molestation, you name it. So this is not some theory. This is reality. And we want those folks at
13:00 border security and ICE to round up these violent offenders because, candidly, the sanctuary cities won't do it. And so we have to bring in federal agents to go and round up these people. And because
13:12 local law enforcement won't help, we need to actually bring in additional federal agents to protect the law enforcement agents going after these bad folks. That's how convoluted this terrible problem is.
13:24 So so convoluted indeed. Florida congressman Mike Herodopoulos, I wanna thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch. Wishing you and your family and friends a
13:35 wonderful Memorial Day weekend. You deserve a break. Thanks for joining us.
13:40 Thank you, Jeremy.
13:41 Alright. Coming up, we're going to discuss the pause, and you may not have caught this, but the US has put a pause on 14000000000 dollars of arms sale to Taiwan.
13:53 A big deal. Don't go away.
14:00 Join us for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action at this year's pray vote stand summit at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia. Hear from Christian leaders, issue experts, and government
14:12 officials as we work together to build a foundation based on biblical truth. Early bird special tickets are on sale for 69 dollars when you register by June fifteenth. To register, visit pray
14:24 boat stand dot org. That's pray boat stand dot org.
14:30 Exodus chapter 9 verse 1 says, thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews, let my people go that they may serve me. See, America has freedom for a
14:42 purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? In scripture, deliverance and freedom
14:52 is never
14:52 an end
14:52 in itself.
14:52 It is a is never an end in itself. It is a liberation under obedience to worship and to a covenantal relationship.
Taiwan Arms Pause and China Tensions
15:05 God's demand to Pharaoh was not freedom for freedom sake, but freedom so his people could identify with and belong to and serve him. Freedom is not
15:17 used to serve God will not endure. 1 of the founders actually echoed a similar warning. Thomas Jefferson wrote, indeed I tremble for my country
15:28 when I reflect that God is just and his justice cannot sleep forever. See the founders understood we as a nation
15:41 would be accountable to God for what he had granted to us. They sought freedom for a purpose and that freedom was given to us as a nation for
15:53 that same purpose to serve God, to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority. In this 200 and fiftieth anniversary year,
16:05 we must ask the question, are we living by that purpose today as a nation? Lord, we thank you for the godly
16:17 foundation and heritage of our states. And, Lord, we would return to an understanding of the freedom that you've granted to us. That freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a
16:29 purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. And I pray that our nation would return to that understanding of the purpose of the freedom that you have granted to
16:40 us. We thank you, father. By faith, we pray that we would return to that purpose. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
17:03 Thank you for tuning in today to Washington Watch. I'm your Friday host, Jody Heise. Glad to have you on board with us. Earlier today, a spokesperson for the office of Taiwan's president
17:15 told reporters that the Taiwanese government had not been informed, the US decision to hold off on a 14000000000 dollar arms package
17:27 that was meant for Taiwan. Now the arms sales pause actually came up yesterday during a senate appropriation subcommittee hearing that actually featured the acting US
17:39 Navy secretary Hong Cao. Look at this clip.
17:42 We have done some military, foreign military sales to them. And it's just right now we're doing a pause in order to to make sure we have the, munitions we need for Epic Fury, which we we have
17:54 plenty, but we're just making making sure we have everything. But then, the mil foreign military sales will continue, when the administration deems, necessary, sir.
18:05 Wow. So what could this new development mean in wake of president Trump's visit last week to China? Well, I don't know of anyone more equipped to give us that info than my
18:17 next guest, Gordon g Chang. He's the distinguished senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute. He's also the author of Plan Red, China's Project to
18:28 Destroy America. You can and I encourage you to follow Gordon on x under the handle at Gordon g chiang. Gordon, it's always great to have you on
18:40 Washington Watch. Let me just begin by what are your thoughts? Is this an ominous sign for the relationship between the US and Taiwan?
18:50 Certainly, it's a sign, Jody. I don't know if it's ominous. It really depends. The thing here is that the Chinese laid down a marker. And if president Trump
19:01 complies with the Chinese demand, then people are gonna say that China is the more powerful country and that they have made, they make American foreign policy. Now I
19:13 don't know if what the acting under secretary said is just a temporary, move. But the point is people around the world are going to say that China owns the United States.
19:25 So I do hope that, we will see some clarifying remarks. And I also thought, you know, in general, it was good that president Trump said he was gonna talk to president, Lai Chengdu of
19:37 Taiwan, and that would break a 47 year period of silence between the United States and China. So we'll have to see how this works out, but this could be very bad for us because not only will
19:49 it, discourage and dishearten the people in Taiwan, it will discourage and dishearten the people in Japan and countries around the world because they will say, what's the use of being an ally of the United
20:01 States if China can just push us around?
20:04 Yeah. That's the big concern that that a lot of us are having with all of this. And, of course, all this just comes after last week president Trump told reporters, as you mentioned, that he was gonna make a determination
20:16 on the arms sale to Taiwan. And he said this as he was returning from his visit in china last week with, the the leader there, she,
20:29 who, by the way, I should say, made Taiwan probably his top priority. So is this, relationship with China, as you mentioned,
20:41 putting them in a position of authority, seemingly in a position of weakness and an issue with our ally. I mean, how how is all this going to play out, do you think, in the long run?
20:53 In the long run, I'm sure that we will be selling arms to Taiwan, and we'll be strengthening the relationship with the island. But in the short term, this could be extremely damaging. And, it it's
21:05 gonna be a question of what the American people think. You know, president Trump wants to accommodate Xi Jinping, but the American people may not want that. And so this is gonna be a lot of political pressure. We got an
21:17 election coming up, and president Trump needs to solidify his base, because this is something that most conservatives just don't like. This is a tradition of the United States supporting Taiwan, a
21:29 free democracy, and we know that China is a malicious communist totalitarian state. As someone said recently, it's core evil, and, I think it's impossible to have a
21:41 long term accommodation with China. We should be supporting our friends.
21:45 Yeah. I I think you are expressing the the the voice and opinion of of many, many. So let's let me just take you back to the summit as a whole last week in
21:57 China. What what were some of your takeaways from that?
22:02 Most summits between China and the United States are predetermined. They're in the can. Everything is decided beforehand. This 1 wasn't. And so we won't know for quite some time how all of
22:13 this works out. And so, there will be a lot of, speculation. Now president Trump invited Xi Jinping to the United States September 20 fourth. So, presumably,
22:25 we'll get some clarity, between now and then. But president Trump gets a lot of credit for actually, rolling the dice and talking about substantive issues in China. But the
22:37 1 other thing is that Xi Jinping was extremely arrogant. Famously, he mentioned, the Thucydides trap, which is refers to something in ancient Greece, Athens, and Sparta,
22:49 where you had, a declining hegemon, dangerously challenged a rising power. That Xi Jinping's narrative for the US is exhausted and China's rising. But he also said something else,
23:01 Jody, which was even more insulting, and that was new era. In Xi Jinping speak, new era is the period where China is dominant, rules the world maybe, and the United
23:13 States is nowhere to be seen. Now president Trump was confident. He didn't reply immediately. There was a true social posting that mentioned it briefly. But the point here is that I'm
23:25 sure president Trump does not like Xi Jinping trying to insult him and trying to insult the United States. And I hope that president Trump will get back at, the Chinese leader because this arrogance is
23:37 very dangerous. It means deterrence is declining. And whenever deterrence erodes, nothing good ever happens.
23:44 Yep. Great point. Less than a minute to go, Gordon. But let me ask you this, on a related note. The US military reportedly is gonna be deploying some mid range missile systems in Japan by the
23:56 end of the year, for joint military drills. Of course, China is upset about this. Your thoughts real quickly.
24:03 Well, especially if we pause arms sale, we have to go through with the deployment of these systems. This sort of reminds me of the Pershing missile debate in the Reagan era, with the Soviet Union.
24:16 The United States did deploy, and it pushed the Soviet Union aside. We gotta do the same thing. We cannot allow China to determine our relations with our friends and partners.
24:27 Thank you so much, Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, Gordon Chang, for your incredible insights. Thank you for joining us on Washington Watch. Always an honor to have you. Alright,
24:39 friends. Don't go anywhere. Washington stands, Yoi Suarez will be joining me next to discuss this week's developments in Cuba, and there are quite a few.
24:51 So we'll be hitting all that on the other side of the break. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back in a moment.Show more
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Tony Perkins93.9K followers
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.